How To Be
by HedwigBlack
Summary: Roxanne breaks up with Teddy and she's leaving the country. He wants answers. Now. For the Diversity Competition Round 5 and my first nextgen fic!


Teddy Lupin frantically pounded on the Weasley's front door until an older red haired wizard opened it and leaned against the door frame. He mumbled a distracted greeting before brushing past the man in the doorway and headed for the stairs.

"I don't think she's going to want to see you, mate," George warned. But he didn't stop Teddy from going up the stairs and knocking on Roxanne's bedroom door. He'd learned a long time ago that when it came to the two of them, anything he said fell on deaf ears. If Roxanne didn't want to see Teddy, everyone in the neighborhood would hear her say so and maybe then the stubborn kid would take a hint.

Or not.

"Too much like his mother," George muttered and walked down the street to his shop, leaving his daughter and her boyfriend?… ex-boyfriend?... whatever they were … to figure things out.

Teddy had come over because Roxanne had decided to break up with him two days ago and he wanted answers. She needed some _space_. She wanted him to be _happy_. So of course, she wanted to end things, because her logic was twisted and insane and therefore she thought that would make him happy. Then he received a letter from her that morning in which she told him she'd be visiting her Uncle Charlie in Romania for a while and her portkey was leaving in a few hours.

This was the last straw. She was always making an excuse, always pushing him away, always doing something dramatic like leaving the country just because she wanted some space. Teddy wasn't going to have it. He wasn't going to just stand back and let her do this.

"Let me in," he said to the closed door.

He heard the shuffling from the other side stop and then a weary sigh. "Fine."

He opened the door to see Roxanne sorting out clothes on her bed and the contents of her old school trunk strewn across the floor. She didn't look at him as he approached.

"Why are you doing this, Roxy? What did I do?"

She swallowed hard and stopped moving, which he thought was a hopeful sign. She played with the buttons on a shirt that she was folding, still not looking at him. "You didn't do anything. I told you, I think we should just be away from each other for a while."

"But why? If I didn't do anything wrong, then why don't you want to be with me?"

"Teddy…" she closed her eyes and chose her words carefully. "I grew up with you around. I know you better than most people. And I don't doubt that you love me because I know you do."

Teddy nodded enthusiastically. Of course he loved her! Was she mad? Hadn't they been over this before? She finally looked up to meet his eyes and there was no question that she was just as upset by this conversation as he was. She continued and any hope that he had of convincing her to stay was shattered.

"But you're not happy. There's some sort of need like a hole inside you or something and I can't fill it and I don't want to, but you keep trying. And it's not fair to either of us."

"How is breaking up with me fair?" Teddy questioned. "Is this going to make you happy? Because that's all I want for you too. Don't you see that?"

Roxanne just shook her head and continued to pack.

"Look at me!" he demanded. He spread his arms wide. "What do you want from me? I'll be anything you want me to be. Here." He squeezed his eyes shut and his normally shocking turquoise hair became jet black, he shrunk a couple of inches and his green eyes faded to hazel. "I'll be myself, if that's what you want. You want me to back off? I won't come over all the time. You want me to be more adventurous? I'll come to Romania with you! Just tell me what you want me to be and I'll be that for you. I'm good at that remember?" He changed his appearance back to his usual blue-haired self and crossed his arms.

Roxanne threw a pair of dress robes in her trunk and put her hands on her hips, and he faltered a little because he knew he'd crossed a line. He braced himself for the impact of whatever she was about to say next.

"You are an idiot."

He shrugged not wanting to disagree.

"No, really," she went on. "You are an idiot if you think that I give two shits what you look like or that who you are as a person is not good enough for me. I don't want you to try and be my fantasy. I just want you to be you."

Teddy hadn't anticipated how much those last words would sting. He was sure that Roxanne hadn't meant to hurt him with them but the weight of realization that he didn't know how to be himself almost brought him to his knees. All his life he'd learned that to please people all he had to do was change. All he had to do was morph, even if it wasn't his appearance. His magical ability had instilled in him this instinct that to get where he wanted in life, he should adapt. He was used to being told what to do, who to be and _how_ to be. That was fine for everyone else. But it wasn't for Roxanne, because it was true that she knew him better than anyone else, including himself.

He felt the tears prick his eyes as he looked into Roxanne's and she smiled weakly when she saw that he finally understood.

"I don't know how," he whispered.

She stepped over a pile of books on the floor and reached out to him. She ran her fingers through his turquoise hair which she always teased was too long. "I know you don't. But you'll learn. I have faith in you." She stood on her toes and kissed him soundly.

"Can't you stay?" he asked but he knew that deep down she was right. This was something he needed to do on his own.

"No. But when you figure out whatever it is you need to figure out, come find me." She kissed him again, then jabbed him sharply in the chest with her finger. "And not before."

"Just don't go fall in love with some Romanian bloke."

"Only if you watch out for Victoire's Veela magic."

"Deal."

Teddy shook his head. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have a girl who loved him enough to break up with him. It was a strange thing, and to anyone else it wouldn't make sense. But this was the nonsensical and seemingly backwards relationship that he had with Roxanne Weasley. It was never easy, but he wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
